Cranes might be operating again next Thursday. Photo / Greg Bowker
Cranes might be operating again next Thursday. Photo / Greg Bowker
Smoko could be lonely, you won't be up close to anyone in a cage lift and you could get a sleep-in.
That's the new norm planned by New Zealand's biggest construction company if workers return to sites next Thursday with variable start times, staggered lunch breaks, limits on workers insmall areas and tracing people's movements.
Peter Reidy, chief executive of Fletcher Construction which in February had a $1.4 billion order book, said new standards would be introduced on sites to protect staff and subcontractors from the pandemic threat.
"Staggering start times and lunch breaks, controlling access to small spaces such as lifts, adding more contactless site access and ensuring we have all the personal protective equipment needed for the new way of working," Reidy said.
Building workers and tradespeople could go back next Thursday if New Zealand moves from alert level 4 to level 3. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday at the 1pm briefing specifically named "an area like forestry or construction - you can return to your place of work if you apply health and safety expectations we have established".
Reidy said Fletcher would track people's movements too.
Peter Reidy listed how sites would change. Photo / Jason Oxenham
"The ability to trace where our people have been working and who they have come into contact with will be key. We are working through those processes now," he said.
The $60b a year construction sector would play a leading role in New Zealand's economic recovery, he predicted, if a return was allowed next Thursday.
Construction employs 8 per cent of the workforce and many companies are keen to return, he said.
"We've been working closely with the Government on its stimulus package and we are actively helping to shape the infrastructure projects which will underpin growth in our regions and cities. While we will need to take some time to absorb the Government's directions on alert level 3, at this stage we expect construction and maintenance activities will be able to resume in the coming weeks," Reidy said.
But getting back to business would not be like turning on a switch.
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"It's going to take considerable time for our activity levels to return to where they were before the lockdown, and the industry is likely to need to come back in stages. We've been working with other senior leaders on new industry-wide health and safety protocols, which will include new hygiene measures, physical distancing and contact tracing," he said.
"We expect these to reduce productivity and there will also be an associated cost in implementing these measures and training our staff, however, the safety of our people, our subcontractors and communities is our top priority.
Fletcher was also working with clients to develop site-specific health and safety plans, and the first action at each of its sites would be ensuring they are thoroughly cleaned.
"On our larger sites the return to work will look very different. We'll be taking a staged approach and have been working with our customers on which areas will likely return first once construction resumes. A range of initiatives are planned to ensure our people are kept safe," he said.
Crane driving could be the best place to be. Photo / Greg Bowker
About 1800 workers were on the $1b Commercial Bay site and work had re-started on the $703m NZ International Convention Centre before the lockdown.
Reidy said Fletcher would be working closely with all subcontractors to ensure they were aware of the new standards.
"This is a new world of work for everyone. Ensuring our people are kept safe and provided with the safety training they need is key," he said.
The Fletcher Construction division had a gross revenue fall from $866m in the previous half-year to $744m in the half-year to December 31, 2019.
But in February when it announced that result, it indicated a strong order book, declaring a revenue backlog of $1.4b, up on the previous $1.1b.
No changes were made then to provisions on those legacy projects Commercial Bay for Precinct Properties and SkyCity Entertainment Group's convention centre.
Fletcher Building shares are trading around $4.01.
